Crazy, Scary Stuff

Saw this incredibly accurate meme on Facebook this morning.   It truly has been a crazy-making couple of weeks.   Hurricane Irma hit most of Florida.   The predictions ranged from bad to apocalyptic.  The Carribean (including Puerto Rico) got apocalyptic.   Central Florida got bad.  We actually made out pretty darn well, and given the possibilities, have much to be grateful for.   

Luckily we had plenty of warning.   So were able to lay in the necessary supplies (water, ice, canned foods, etc.).   Our youngest, his fiance, and their roommates rode the storm out here.   They pretty much took over the first floor of our house.   They are all in their 20's now, but we've known them all since they were in their tweens & teens.   I love them all dearly.   They are the perfect house guests (cooking & cleaning up after themselves).   They are also noisy.  Happy noise to be sure, but noisy.   My mother hid in the guestroom, I finished a needed reorg of my office, and Hubby compulsively watched The Weater Channel.   

We survived with none but minimal damage.  The kids went home on Monday (even though they did not get power back until Wednesday), my mother went home on Tuesday when her power came back.  I thought that all was well.  Not so much.

Thursday morning I woke up to an odd message that turned out to be from my Mother's emergency alert.   She had collapsed in her apartment, and was being taken to the hospital.   She had a stroke.  The first 24 hours were pretty scary.   My brother, SIL, & oldest son came from Jax.   Youngest son & our future DIL came as well.   At that point, the situation looked pretty bleak.  We thought we were saying goodbye.   Then, she turned around (YAY!).   In fact, she was moved to rehab last night, and is expected to make a full recovery.   I saw her today.   She is tired, but her spirits are high and she is determined to do what she has to, to be able to move back into her apartment by herself.   As BFF pointed out "She is a tough old bird".

So, with all of the scary drama of the past week, we still have much to be grateful for.

Mr. Rubio, please do not kill my kids....

Dear Mr. Rubio, et al:

Please do not kill my kids.

Last weekend, Nick, our 24yo son, experienced what he describes as “the worst asthma attack of my life”. It came on suddenly. For the first time in his life, his inhaler did not work. A co-worker took him to a local ER.

​​There, he was given two breathing treatments, oxygen, and six steroid pills, before his breathing was once again at a healthy level. The next day, he was still having trouble breathing. He was able to get an appointment with his GP, who gave him additional medication, allayed his fears that his childhood asthma would once again become a chronic problem (unlikely), and scheduled a follow-up appointment. Four days later, he is improving, and hopeful.

​​Here’s the thing, were it not for the Affordable Care Act, Nick would not have health insurance, despite working a full-time, food services job, while saving to finish college. He might not have gotten the same level of care at the ER (if he went at all). He would not have been able to see his GP the next day (necessitating another ER visit?). He would not have been able to afford the necessary medications. His choices would have been incurring unmanagable debt, or risking death. Make no mistake, asthma properly managed is a bother. Unmanaged? It is deadly.

​​Our younger son (also a college student), has severe asthma, and will require (unrelated) drastic spinal surgery. In addition, as a child, he struggled with a pediatric seizure disorder. He has survived 21 years only due to quality health care. Cut him off, and we could very well lose him.

​​Today, the Senate votes on the Affordable Health Care Act. Our son’s lives (along with 24 million others) depend on affordable, accessible, quality, health care. I, and millions of others, have called, emailed, snail-mailed, Tweeted, Facebooked, marched, waved signs, spoken out, on this issue. We have pleaded with our government not to abandon the sick and frail among us.

​​We are not Democrats. We are not Republicans. We are aging, middle-class parents of two responsible young men. This is not (nor should it be) a partisan issue. The right and means to care for ourselves and others is (or at least should be) a basic human right. We are blessed to live in a country that offers some of the best health care in the world. How sad would it be if only the weathly could afford it?

​​I can say, and mean, that I will never vote for anyone who votes to take away life-saving medical care from mine and others. I can say, and mean, that I will actively work against anyone who supported the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In the end, though, nothing would make up for the suffering and possible death of my children.

​​So once again, in this very public forum, I beg the US congress not to risk my children’s lives in the name of scoring a political victory.

So, knitting and social justice, it’s not a new idea.   There is an excellent article here.  Just type “social justice knitting” into Google and you will find tons of fascinating information about knitters, past and present, stepping up to the social justice plate.

You probably already know that there will be a Women’s March on Washington this Saturday (the day after trump’s inauguration).  However, did you know about the Pussy Hat Project?

I have been knitting these pink hats for weeks.   First, I made some as Christmas gifts for all of my friends who will be at the main Women’s March on Washington.   Then, I felt like knitting more hats, so I made a few to send to the main distribution location in VA (My local yarn shop owner donated yarn for hats once she found out why I wanted pink worsted & heavier when my usual habits run to blue/grey/black lace).  Then, Hubby asked for a hat (I love that guy).   Then, while knitting at a meeting for the sister march in the Orlando.  (There are over 300 sister marches worldwide!), people started asking about hats for our march, so I ordered a bag of pink yarn (cotton, it’s hot where we live), and will bring as many as I can finish by Saturday afternoon.

Please do visit the march website and read the group’s platform, then, if you are thus inclined, join us at a rally.   Every one of like mind is welcome.

A few months ago, a life thing happened that knocked me for a loop.   A thing that we desperately did not want to do, was forced on us (by “forced” I mean that there were absolutely no other moral options, and by us, I mean even in the toxic abyss that is my family of origin, Hubby sees us as a team.   That man is a god).

Migraines, insomnia, & stomach upset ensued.  For the first time in my life, I could not lose myself in books.  My hands would shake so much that I could not knit.   I found it very hard to leave the house, and when I did, I could not interact with other people.  It was ugly, and I have fought too hard for my emotional health to allow it to go on (It is ultimately easier (?) not to go to those dark places, than it is to climb out).

What really made a difference was finding a journal app that worked for me (Day One), and dumping everything I was feeling into it.   Good, bad, admirable, not so much, it all went in there.

So what did I do?   I set clear expectations and boundaries.   For me, that is the easy part.  Thanks to years of therapy (the duct tape of life), I know darn well how things should be.   Harder is enforcing those boundaries.   Mostly, I’ve done well with that one, but it is a daily battle, it does get old, and I do get tired.

It has been almost six months.   The situation has improved, but still pretty much sucks.   At least our home is back to being a safe space (That all by itself makes a world of difference).   I’m finally, and only recently, able to focus enough to hide in a good book.   Knitting continues to be a solace (I’ve been test-knitting, which I did not think I would like, but actually love).   I am looking for a volunteer opportunity that would be emotionally lightweight but still of use (literacy?).   I am intrigued by the mission of “WritersResist.org”, and with that in mind, am going to try to reanimate my blog.  Knitting and social justice, not an original idea, but I like it.

Thanks for stopping by.
SaveSave

A few days ago, in an aspirational moment, I made this my Facebook profile picture.  This is what I believe we should be striving for, but I am not there yet.   The truth is that I can not seem to stop being afraid.

I've said from the beginning that Trump would win, and that it is not Trump himself who scares me (I grew up in the NY metro.  He is just a shallow bully, who has less intelligence, money, &/or influence than be brags about).   It is the people who voted for him, the "Deplorables", who terrify me.  

I believe he won because the American electorate was both overestimated and underestimated.   I think there was a belief that despite his rally numbers, most people would not really be willing to put a bigoted, racist, xenophobic, avowed sexual assailant in the White House.    On the left side, I was hearing a lot about how important this election was going to be.   How it was a fight for the country's soul.   There seemed to be little acknowledgment that the other side also understood the importance of voting, of maintaining their world as they understood it,  that all those people who were willing to be seen shouting vile slogans and waving hateful signs, were not going to suddenly find themselves unable to vote for the guy who told them that their anger and hate were good things.   Who does not want to hear that they are right?    Trump won, not despite his hate & lies, but because of them.   This election did not determine the content of our country's character, it revealed it.

For me, it has been a slow, painful slide from believing that most people are good and kind, to most people are more than just willing, to shoot first, and ask questions later (figuratively, in this case, literally would be a whole other blog post.)

As a woman I am afraid.   As a Latina, I am afraid.   As domestic violence survivor, I am afraid.   As an assault survivor, I am afraid.   As the mother, of two young men who have embraced our message to stand up, and speak out for what is right, I am afraid.   As the wife of a man who still believes that we have to keep fighting for love, equality, & equity for all, I am afraid.

Lisa's Lesser Evil Oatmeal, Craisen, Chocolate Chip, Walnut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 sticks (8Tbsp) butter, softened
• 3/4 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 Cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 1-1/2 Cup King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 
• 3 Cups Quaker® Oats (old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 Cup Ocean Spray Reduced Sugar Craisins
• 1 Cup Gheradelli Chocolate Baking Chips
• 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. 

Add eggs, vanilla and water; mix well. 

Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. 

Add oats and mix well. 

Add Craisins and mix 

Add Chocolate Chips and mix 

Add Chopped Walnuts and mix

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. 

Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; 

Remove to wire rack. 

Cool completely. 

Store tightly covered.

Love Wins

Love Wins Wrap

I was just so please with the recent SCOTUS decision to legalize same-sex marriage, that I decided to knit myself a rainbow and wrap myself up in it.   If you would like to do the same, feel free to use to download my new pattern "Love Wins" .   It's free on Ravelry.

Serial Monogamy

I have not stuck to one project in years.   Even my everyday knitting basket always has at least two projects at a time (one simple, one more complicated).   However, an odd bug bit me recently.   I woke up compelled to start something in lace wt yarn.   Theoretically I dont even like lace wt yarn.

After fight it for a day or so, I  gave in and started the Reunion Shrug with some grey Findley Dappled that I had in my stash (earmarked for I don't remember what).   I am so hooked.   Lace is my new favorite wt yarn, and the soon to be finished (focus is a wonderful thing) Reunion Shrug is my new obsession.   It's all I've worked on for a while now,  and now that it is done,  I can't wait to cast on another lace wt project.   Re-yarning my Simple Comforts Wrap in lace is appealing, but I am also attracted to the Ethereal shawl.   Still thinking.

Can You Hear Her Laughing?

"Sitting here, I am pretty freaking happy".   That is what I said to my BFF just the other day.   She says I should begin and end a novel with that line.   I decided to use it to restart my blog.

I could not tell you when exactly I went from abjectly miserable to "pretty freaking happy".   No doubt it was a process helped along by settling in to, rather than fighting, my life here in FL.   Sitting outside at Starbucks in December while my sister tells me about the next blizzard to hit NJ (aka home).   Knitting on the beach in March is pretty wonderful and friends to do it with can't be beat.

The realization came when Hubby and I started talking about finally moving.   Our oldest is living on campus now and our youngest leaves for college in less than two weeks (I am going to be an empty nester! Be prepared for tears).    We could downsize.   With two kids in college, we could use the extra $'s.

Then it hit us.   We've made friends it would hurt us to leave.   Hubby likes his job and hates change.  I have become (dare I say it?), rather fond of our house.   Did I mention the weather?  So, it was decided, we would stay (at least until the boys are out of school and maybe to Hubby's retirement). 

I would participate in a Cozy Minimalist workshop (at www.Nester.com) to cozy up the place.   We  made a plan to rearrange the secondary bedrooms so that Hubby and I would each have our own office (Niether of the boys plan to come home for the summer and they can share a room for visits).

Surely, you've heard about God's sense of humour.   Can you hear her laughing?   Half way through the Cozy Minimalist thing, Hubby called to tell me that is job will not exist after Jan1st (really?!).   Will he find another posiiton in Jax?   Will he move to his current employer's Orlando headquarters?   Will he find a good position somewhere else (please, let it not be a state without an ocean)?   Jax & Orlando are tied for our first choice, but we will go where the money is (two kids, college?).

The thing is, even with all of this uncertainty, I am still pretty freaking happy.

The Phoenix Shawl Flies Again

Find the Phoenix Shawl on Ravelry

A pattern two years in the making. That is when I began to knit the sample, create the charts, and work on the written directions. Then, the Memorial Day before last, our house burned. The boys were out with me, Hubby was in the pool, and the dog came when called. We were (and are) fine.

However, we lost almost everything. Much of what did not burn, was deemed “toxic waste” by the fire marshall. Up in smoke (literally & figuratively) went my computer (No, I did not back up regularly. Yes, I do now.), and, I believed, the first sample.

My written notes and the printed charts survived. So being a good little soldier, I used those to start over. Eventually, I even found the sample (in a grocery bag in my trunk. Don’t ask. I just don’t know.).

So here we are, almost a year after the restart, and it is finally done and for sale on Ravelry.   The Phoenix Shawl, a pattern that rose out of the ashes.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

Happy Chanukah,  Kwanza, Christmas & New Year.   Merry any holiday not coming to my mind (even Festivus, which I think is just plain silly).

You need only look at the last date I posted to see that I have been taking a blogging break.   I am here to tell you that I do not know when (or if) I will be back.   I really do not know how to explain why, except to say that I seem to have run out of blogging gas.

From the beginning blogging has come easily for me.  It has been my habit to blog my joys, and journal my sorrows (I have not been journaling much either, so I guess that is good).     It just seemed a natural consequence of my knitting/designing/ teaching enthusiasm.   It is that, I think, that I am missing; enthusiasm.

So for now, I am taking a break.   Emotionally & physically, I will be sticking close to home.   Reaching out certainly has it's rewards, but so can tucking in.   I am going to try that for a while.   Hopefully, I will be back to let you know how that works for me.

If you want to know what I am up to, you can find me on Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I am not a frequent contributor but when I do share, this is where I will be.

Thank you all for sticking with me.

(((HUGS)))

Mommy Knitting...

Wingspan

Fibranaura Heaven

US 6/4mm 24" Circs

I thought I knew what I was making for my mother.   She is moving back up North just before Christmas and I thought a nice warm cowl (Gaptastic? Pretty Thing?) would be just the thing. Then while perusing an LYS closeout sale, I found a few balls of  Fibranatura Heaven in the Autumn Leaves color way.    My mother is all about earth tones and these colors are just perfectly her.   I quickly grabbed the six remaining balls and started searching for the perfect pattern.  

After much hemming and hawing, I finally decided on the Wingspan scarf/shawl.  It is fast easy and is really shows off variegated yarns beautifully.  I cast on the Sunday before last (while watching "Captain Phillips", an excellent movie) and finished this past Tuesday.   Including the time it took me to cast on and knit the first two wedges twice (once with a US 7/4.5mm needles, and then again with US 6/4mm needles), it took 9 days to finish.  I worked on it everywhere, home, church, the movies, and even, as you can see,  Medieval Times (where we celebrated T1's 21st birthday).

This means that my two most important Christmas presents (Sis and Mom) are done, done, done and it is only just mid-November.    This is me feeling very accomplished.

Let The Holiday Knitting Begin...

Little Witches
Simply Worsted
US 6/4mm DPNs

It is that time of year again.   Time to get started on holiday knitting.   My first contribution to the season are these lovely Little Witches.   When I saw these ladies on Facebook, I knew I had to hunt down the patten and make one (or three) for my kitchen (kitchen witches are good luck).   Then I realized that a friend with an upcoming birthday might like one (or three), and maybe another friend would really appreciate one (or three).   What can I tell you?   They are a lot of fun to make.

Still, Halloween is only the beginning of the season.   There is of course a Thanksgiving wreath to be made (not done yet) and Christmas/Hanukkah gifts to whip up.   My sister's gift is done (Yes, I said done).   I love, love, love it and I hope she does too.   No pictures yet because she reads the blog and I want it to be a surprise.  

Almost there...

Phoenix Shawl

Check out the Phoenix Shawl in all its glory.   This baby has been in the works for years (literally).   There was the idea, which became the charts, which became what you see above.    Then came the fire, the loss of the shawl, the laptop with the charts (backup, backup, backup!), and the preliminary pattern.  

From my written notes came new charts, and new samples, and a rewritten pattern.   I've got three test knitters working on it as we "speak".    One, is three rows from being done.   One has put it aside to work on Xmas gifts, and one is waiting for a meet-up with me.

First known as the Old City Shawl (we live in St. Augustine, FL), then the Simply Exquisite Shawl (thus dubbed by a LYS owner), it is now, finally, the Phoenix Shawl (because it rose out of the ashes).
I used Colinette's Jitterbug for the lost one. Two of the test knitters are using Knit Picks Stroll Tonal (Canopy & Thunderhead).   It occurs to me that I have no idea what my third knitter is using.   I've got three samples on the needles, one of Knit Picks Stroll Tonal  (Pearlescent), one in Malabrigo Lace, and one in Ella Rae Lace Merino.   It is not so much that I don't have a favorite, but that each one is my favorite when I am working on it.

If you would like for me to drop you a line when the pattern is good to go,  just follow the link to Ravelry and leave a comment.   I am hoping (but not promising) to have it up and available for sale before the end of the year.

Not Happening

You may have noticed that I have fallen off the 31 Days wagon.   It's true, I can't come up with 31 things that I like about living in NE Florida.   I started the process with a list of fifteen things, feeling sure that once I got started, other things would occur to me.   Sadly, that did not happen.   Not only did the list come up short, but almost nothing makes up for the cultural differences.    We are most assuredly "Damn Yankees" ("Yankees go home, Damn Yankees stay").   We do not fit, and, likely, we never will.

It's not all bad news though.   Sometime in the last year, T2 told me "I still hate it here, but at least I am not miserable anymore".    As he said that, I realized that he is right.    I do want desperately to go home, but, I have found a place here that makes waking up in the morning much easier.   While some of our neighbors do, unashamedly, fly the Confederate flag, our neighbors to the immediate right and left are also "not from around here" and we can be ourselves around them without being dismissed and/or reviled.   Neighbors that we had not met, came forward to offer help and sympathy in the aftermath of the fire.  There is a community here for us, even if it is a community of "misfits".

In closing here is the rest of my happy list:

• Unitarian Universalists (I don't think I/we could have made it this far without them.)
• Kerri & Michelle (The thing is, it took the comfort and safety of the UU for me to feel safe enough to take an emotional chance on outside connections.   I am so glad that I did.    I love and depend on these two lovely ladies.)
• Starbucks (Don't laugh.   They are nice to me there.)
• Hubby and sons (Luckily we are not the kind of people who take out our misery on each other.   We really have been in this together.)
• Good insurance (Post fire, this can not be under-appreciated.)
• Nancy (An early friend who has stood by me even when my hermit tendencies come to the fore).
• Teresa/Kelly/New freindships (Again, comfort in one area of my life, left me able to be open to new friendships.   Being open to new friendships has brought some lovely people into my life.) 
• December (When mid-Dec rolls around and I am still sitting outside at Starbucks, I feel good.) 
• The Sky (We have the prettiest sky here.   The blue is very blue and the clouds are fluffy and distant.   My mom says the sky is like that in Puerto Rico but that I was too young to appreciate it when we lived there.)

That's it.  That's all I've got.   With two boys in college, we are not going anywhere else anytime soon.   However, once the boys are good to go, so are we.  Until then, we still hate it here, but at least we are not miserable.

Tomorrow this blog goes back to it's regularly scheduled mostly knitting content.

Day 13: Dinner on the Water

Taken from
Clark's Fish Camp

One of the things I really do like about living in FL is how often we eat outside.  One of my favorite places is Clark's Fish Camp.   The place food is great, the menu is extremely varied, and the mood is casual and fun.

This is number thirteen, in the 31 Days of Where I live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.

Day 12: Sew & Quilt Shop

Sew & Quilt Shop
Bunnell, FL

Look what I made today at my favorite local yarn shop!   Even though there isn't any in the shop name, once you get there you will find plenty of yarn, along with friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming staff.    This is my favorite place to go when I feel like running away from home.

Today, the talented Teresa Bovino, demo'd her Christmas Ornament pattern (available at the Sew & Quilt Shop).   We used Plymouth's Steletto on #3 needles but you can use any fingering wt. yarn.    I bought a ball of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino to make some more for my family.   I didn't have #3's with me (and I am trying not to buy things I already own) so I used the #1's I had in my purse.   I am happy with the final product but the finishing was a bit tight.  For my next attempt I definitely will go up a needle size or two.

This is number twelve, in the 31 Days of Where I live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.

Day 11: Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos @ Tijuana Flats

I am on my own tonight.   T1 is off with his friends, and Hubby & T2 are preparing for a fundraiser.   I,  on the other hand, took myself off for a massage, followed by fish tacos at Tijuana Flats.   Fish tacos, apparently a Southern thing, are my current favorite food.   How did I go so long without fish tacos? :-)

This is number eleven, in the 31 Days of Where I live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.

Day 10: It's pretty where I live...

Marineland, FL

This is number ten, in the 31 Days of Where I live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.

Day Nine: Rest

So here it is, a day late and a picture short, Day Nine in my "Where I Live" series.

Yesterday, I got to do the most amazing thing.   I got to stay home sick.  It may not sound that exciting to some, but to the Moms among us it is a rare treat.

You see, because we live in FL, our youngest was able to take (and pass) his drivers test last week even though he is only 16.   When we lived there the NJ age was 17.   That means that he is on the road and I am not.

Yesterday, while T2 took himself off to school, I (stricken by the plague, or perhaps a cold) snuggled on the couch, read, knit, and watched three (!) spooky movies.    It was awesome.   I am feeling much better today, and quite pleased with FL license policy.

This is number nine , in a the 31 Days of Where I Live blogging challenge.

Each day I will post a thought and/or picture relative to something I like about living in NE Florida.  

You can see the whole list of posts here.